Wheelies: The Average Age Edition

The average age of cars in the United States is 11.4 years, making this 2003 Toyota Camry fairly average.CreditCreditToyota Motor Sales

By Benjamin Preston

June 10, 2014

A roundup of motoring news from the web:

■ IHS Automotive, a company that tracks the automotive industry, says that the average age of vehicles in operation in the United States is holding steady at 11.4 years and predicts that the average age will increase gradually toward the end of the decade. IHS also reported that there were nearly a record 253 million light vehicles in operation in the United States. (MarketWatch)

■ Bill Hoglund, a General Motors executive who retired in 1994, died over the weekend at the age of 79. Mr. Hoglund had begun working at G.M. in 1958, including a stint as head of the Pontiac division. According to a report by Automotive News, he had a hand in creating Pontiac’s “We build excitement” slogan, which was used extensively during the 1980s. (Automotive News, subscription required)

■ Although Dennis Williams, the new president of the United Auto Workers union, has pledged that he will tackle wage disparity issues among hourly employees at automotive factories in the United States, automakers say that the $16 an hour entry-level wage is good for business growth. Veteran workers, who comprise about three quarters of the U.A.W. membership, make about $28 an hour. (Automotive News, subscription required)

■ Tesla Motors isn’t scheduled to introduce a new model until next year, but in the meantime the company plans to improve the Model S. Elon Musk, the company’s chief executive, told shareholders at Tesla’s annual meeting last week that the cars would get software upgrades that would improve navigation and help the electric car adjust to the driver’s habits. (USA Today)

■ In other Tesla news, Mr. Musk also indicated at the shareholders’ meeting that Tesla might open up its patents to speed up adoption of electric cars. Although Tesla shares have increased by more than 112 percent over the last year, electric vehicles still haven’t caught on in a big way. (BBC)

■ Buick and BASF sponsored a design contest that invited students at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit to determine what a Buick should look like in 2030. Participants built scale models of their ideas, which were judged by representatives from Buick and BASF. Three students won $3,000 in awards. (Buick)

■ The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, which was once a car dealership, will become a museum dedicated entirely to the Hudson automotive brand, according to a report by Hemmings Daily. The Ypsilanti museum and the Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society are creating the National Hudson Motor Car Company Museum, which is scheduled to open at the end of September. (Hemmings Daily)